Messages - Frostillicus

Megadimension Neptunia VII - This game is weird (bear in mind I know Jack shit about the series itself), and I kind of feel like a creep for playing it.... However. I'm having fun, and it runs at a refreshingly quick pace. Plus, I don't hate the characters... Yet, anyway. Just got to the Hyperdimension portion of the game. Starting with Noire's chapter. So much pointless content. Bring it on.

Haven't been playing much else lately. Mainly Minecraft with my son. Been on and off sick the last few weeks. Great way to spend the holidays.

12) Shadow of Mordor - GOTY Edition - I'd like to call it Middle Earth's Creed, but that doest take away from the fact that it's a fun game. Like most open-world style games, it starts to feel monotonous after a while... After about 15 hours of fooling around, I beelined for the end of the story. That's not a complaint, though. I had a great time playing. Love the unapologetic gore. Takes me back to Moonstone.

10) Tales o' Berseria - Finished at roughly 65 hours. Completed most of the sidequests and minigames (I still have no idea how Character Cards works, but I beat all of the players).. Played on Moderate difficulty almost the whole time.I enjoyed the dark twist on the story, but Velvet's angst felt a bit forced at times. Especially early in the game (although that may be because I got used to it over time). The mid-game lull where you are looking for earthpulse points felt a bit dragged out, and fetchy/backtracky. However, things really picked up upon the return to Velvet's hometown. The characters are likeable enough. None of them really stood out, but none of them annoyed me, either. I enjoyed the camaraderie. I liked the battle system for most of the game. Very fluid, but Graces f is still my hero in that department. I say "most of the game", because I honestly got a bit tired of Braseria's battling after a certain point. I'll admit for the last 15% of the game or so, I let the AI handle most non-boss fights. It seemed to do a much better job that my button-mashing ass ever could anyway. Fun to watch.In the end, I feel it's a good Tales game. I enjoyed it, but it felt a little too long to me. Mainly because of said mid-game lull. I don't consider it a landmark entry, but I enjoyed it more than Xillia and Graces f (aside from the latter's battle system, of course).

11) Ratchet & Clank [PS4] - Like every other Ratchet game I've played: Fun as hell; way too short. This is the closest they've gotten to the "like playing a Pixar movie" claim.

Really though, the Marsh Cave gets a shitload easier as soon as you get your hands on a Silver Sword (barring a stupid party comp like 4 Thieves),

Which is why i'd spend a lot of time grinding for cash on the sea/lake north of Elftown/burg/ville/whatever. The last time I played this game through was probably over 20 years ago... I don't remember the tedium of the Guruguru portion of the game, but that may be because I intentionally wiped the horror from my mind. I do remember the cakewalk you mentioned after class changes, though. Just having one of the Master Black Belts (or whatever they were called) could really turn the tide in your favor.

When I think of OG FF, I always think of barely making it through Marsh Cave (after a few tries) every time I played. Yeah, it's very early in the game, but that fucker is tough. Basically akin to running a gauntlet.

It [2017] - I'm a huge fan of Curry's performance in the otherwise blah 90's miniseries version, so I was a bit skeptical about anyone else taking on the role of Pennywise... Skarsgard definitely made it his own, and his version of Pennywise is creepy as fuck. Consider me sold. Still, I prefer Curry's version, because his assault was more psychological; really messing with the kids' heads through nearly simultaneous silliness and scariness. While Bill's Pennywise is inherently more scary on the surface, the character is more streamlined, with the whole "I'm gonna getcha! Hee hee! I'm gonna getcha!" approach.Anyway, as far as the movie itself goes, this was unsurprisingly miles above the original miniseries. The acting and and tone are great throughout. The beginning scene with Georgie really clues you in as to how much of a different beast than the original this is. However, I would have liked for Pennywise to have talked more (less CGI, please), and for there to have been a bit less reliance on jump scares. Still, a pretty good movie.

Tales o' Berseria - Roughly 40 hours in. Just re-visited the prison, and turned it into a hideout. Still enjoying the game overall. Dungeon design has been ho-hum throughout, but some of them still look great. The characters/story and battle system help keep things interesting. Plus, there are plenty of "fashion" items to make characters look ridiculous in cut scenes, which naturally adds to the appeal.I'm wondering why money is even a thing. It's crazy easy to get rich in this game. Haven't worried about funds since the beginning. I suppose equipment enhancement materials would be considered the true currency, as I have to concern myself with stock at times, which is of course much more like real money.All in all, good times. Solid Tales game.

I know I've mentioned this before, possibly even in response to Tomara mentioning coffee candy in the past, but I have to stay away from chocolate covered coffee beans, or I will eat them all in one sitting. Nothing like a combined sugar and caffeine rush to make you feel like your heart is going to explode.

I didn't like coffee until I was 31, when my son was born. It was pretty much necessary to make it through the first few weeks. I've actually met several people over the years since who also didn't like coffee, until they had kids. Now, I love it. Nothing like a hot cup on a chilly Saturday morning.

On that note, @Rucks will be pleased to know that I've already bulk-ordered some pumpkin spice coffee for the season, because it seems to be going quick. Cookie cutter as it is, it's damn delicious. ;)

Berseria - Just starting to explore The Empyrean's Throne. Nice of Magilou to finally join the battle party after hanging around so much (I've swapped out Eizen for her for the time being). Of course, this means the obligatory obnoxious small mascot makes its appearance. Why do some Tales games have to have some annoying creature with an equally annoying voice in the party? Things were just fine before that blabbermouth started with his/her/its shit. At least he/she/it is consistently picked on by Magilou. I sank 6(-ish) real bucks into pirate costumes, because Velvet wearing a parrot on her shoulder during serious scenes is worth it. Plus, I like the hats.I really like the game so far. Easily in my top 3 Tales games of all. The only thing I don't appreciate is a common complaint: The dungeons are tragically uninspired. They seem like what a 10 year old DM would create in a table top game. Good thing said dungeons don't go on too long (yet), and combat is fun.

TEW2 - Still exploring the town in Chapter 3. Taking my time, because stealth, because enemies seem difficult to kill in open combat (or I just really suck at it, which is most likely the case). At one point, I ran into the creature that stalks you while creepily singing to you through the controller. Was very happy to be done with that sequence.

Tales o' Braseria - Arriving in Loegres, after spending some time at Port Zekson playing mini games and buying/upgrading/managing equipment and costumes. Velvet looks awesome as a DJ. I'm enjoying the battle system. Might be my 2nd favorite after Graces f. So far, none of the main characters have annoyed me, which I guess means I like the cast at this point. "Coo, coo!"Playing on Moderate difficulty.

meanwhile Persona is like watching Homer Simpson saunter into an early 90s Grunge Metal concert in full Reggae and it just comes off as sad sometimes.

I do not get that metaphor Homer Simpson metaphor at all :P

I do. Hard for me to believe that was a quarter of a century ago...

I'm pretty sure I'll enjoy this game (after a reasonable price drop, of course). I had a lot of fun with VIII, as much of a slog as it felt at times...As weird as it may sound to say this about an RPG, I've personally never thought of DQ as a "deep" series. People expecting such should look elsewhere. It's just old school RPG fun.